The Road to SPD: The Beginning
by XoxMountainGirlxoX
Summary: How did SPD come to be? Well, here is the story. It all started when...
1. Prologue

**A/N:** Alright, lets try this again. Third time is the charm right?

Thank you to Slytherensangel26 for beta reading this for me. **Note about the story** , Megaforce, Dino Charge and Ninja Steel do not exist as I haven't seen any of the seasons after Super Samurai.

I am getting back into writing so please be patient with me as I get this story up and going again. I have three chapters done and one in the works.

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

* * *

 _ **Command Center**_

 _ **1995**_

"Zordon! Are you sure he is gone?" The high pitched, robotic voice of Alpha sounded through the empty room. The rangers had just defeated the villain named Ivan Ooze by luring him into the path of a comet that was passing Earth at the time.

" **To be honest, Alpha, I'm not sure."** Zordon, the mentor of the power rangers, said with a little uncertainty sounding in his voice.

"What do you mean, Zordon?" Alpha asked, his voice raising in as much disbelief as his robotic voice could muster.

" **Ivan is…..was….able to liquefy himself as well as shape shift. If Ooze did decide to shape shift, he could choose any form he wanted and that would make it very hard to track him down. He could attack from anywhere and there would be no warning or time to prepare.** " Zordon explained.

"Oh, Zordon! What are we going to do?" Alpha asked, his distress being shown in the way he held a hand to his head.

" **Nothing. We can't do anything until we are sure. Now, I want you to keep this to yourself for now.** " He ordered.

"But Zordon! Why?" Alpha asked in shock.

" **Because, if we tell the rangers this, their focus will be off of the present enemy. They will want to search for Ivan, even though we have no way of knowing Ooze's fate.** " The mentor said. Alpha sighed.

"Alright Zordon, I will do as you said." Alpha answered.

" **Thank you. Now that doesn't mean we are just going to sit around and wait. I want you to start up a surveillance of the whole Earth, I want it to focus on certain aspects that might lead to Ivan if he did what I think he did.** " Zordon commanded.

"Yes, Zordon. I'll get on that right away!" Alpha said with a nod as he headed for a secret computer in the depth of the center. Zordon had him install it so that they could search for things without the rangers' knowledge.

* * *

 _ **Turtle Cove, CA**_

 _ **2010**_

It had been six years since he'd worn the ranger uniform. Six years since Master Org had been vanquished and Princess Shayla had gone back to sleep. Through all of those years Cole Evans had felt a constant sense of foreboding. His deep connection to nature helped him to sense things more than other people could and this uneasiness he was feeling wasn't good. Something was going to happen, something bad, but he didn't know when or what. He kept this knowledge to himself.

He wanted to wait until the right time to tell the others. Over time, the feeling would come and go. Sometimes it would be faint or other times it would be strong. Being the leader never left him and neither did the need to protect those close to him. He wanted to be sure about what he was feeling before warning the others, he didn't want them to start worrying for nothing, especially his wife. Allyssa was in her second trimester with their first child, a boy, and he knew that if he told her about this feeling she would start to worry. He didn't want to stress her, especially when she was already stressed about the birth and being a mother. He also knew that with the inconsistencies of the feeling that he had to be really careful with the information, there were so many times you could cry "wolf" before people stopped listening.

It was one of the days when the feeling was strongest that Cole found himself on a walk through the park. Alyssa was in nesting mode and she was driving him nuts with all the organizing and cleaning; he just needed to get out. As he was walking he saw a bench down the path. However, it wasn't the bench that caught his eye; it was the strange man sitting on it. With the ragged cloak he was wearing and the shaggy hair on his head, he looked like a man out of time.

"Hey, you alright?" Cole called out, seeing how pale and distressed man was. It didn't get past him that the man had a sword, he could see the sheath that was almost camouflaged against his pants. He could sense something wasn't right, but he still couldn't leave the man.

"Yes, I'm fine." The man grunted, making it known that he was in some sort of pain.

"Are you sure?" Cole asked, he could see the man getting weaker, gasping for air more than he had been. Cole hesitated as the foreboding grew stronger and stronger.

"No, I need help." The man said in a resigned voice. He knew that Cole was the one. He could feel it.

"Ok, what's your name? I can get you help." Cole replied.

"Deker, my name is Deker. You are the only one who can help me." He answered.

"How?" Cole asked, a little shocked at the man's declaration.

"I'm dying. I need to pass on my legacy." Deker explained.

"Your legacy?" Cole asked.

"Yes. I...I...I'm a warrior. I have a mission to accomplish, if I accomplish it, I will get my wife back." Deker explained, the weariness in his voice sounding more prominent.

"Your wife? Where is she?" He asked. Being a husband, the knowledge of a man's wife in danger made the desire to help override the unease he felt.

"In the Netherworld. They captured us right after our wedding, burnt the house, and destroyed

everything we had. When they took us to the Netherworld we weren't sure what would they

would do; they've turned us into monsters...and spies."

"Who is they?" Cole asked. Deker's head looked up sharply. He frowned at being cut off in his explanation. The other man looked alarmed and also looked as though he wanted to run away.

The Nighlok was right, Cole had seen everything at once; especially the sword that was almost

camouflaged by the man's pants. This vagabond wasn't messing around; even housed inside its

sheath, Cole knew the blade was deadly. Only a master warrior would carry it around.

"The leaders of the Netherworld, Master Xandred and his henchmen." Deker replied.

"What happened to your wife? Where is she? What do you mean by being made into a 'spy'?" Cole asked.

"When we were captured my wife fought back, she was a very tough woman and didn't like to be manhandled like they were doing to her." He started, the way his voice sounded made it seem like he was reliving that part of his past.

"Master Xandred didn't like it and gave her an ultimatum. He told her that if she would just go along with what they wanted then he wouldn't hurt her, but if she kept fighting then there would be hell to pay. She wouldn't hear of it and kept fighting. That was when it all changed." Deker said.

"What do you mean?" Cole asked.

"You see, my wife loved me very much and Master Xandred knew that. He knew that to get to her something would have to be done to me. Physically hurting her would do nothing, but if it came to family..." Deker trailed off with a small smile.

"So, what did he do?"

"He killed me. When she saw what Master Xandred had done she went ballistic saying she would do anything to bring me back. That was when everything changed. He told her that if she wanted him to bring me back, she would have to pledge her allegiance to him. She said she would, even though he told her that she would have to stay in the Netherworld forever.

He changed her, changed her into one of his monsters. She sacrificed her beauty and life so I could live. But that wasn't all that changed. I had changed as well. Both my wife and I, we didn't know it at the time, had already changed when they had brought us into the Netherworld. To get into the Netherworld you have to be at least part Nighlok, what they call their monsters. That was what I meant by being made into a spy." Deker explained.

"So, wait, you are saying you are part monster, Nighlok, whatever it is called? Like a werewolf?" Cole asked, the suspicion coming back full force.

"Yes, sort of. A werewolf can't change at whim. I'm something like a shapeshifter or a skinwalker. I can only change into two different forms, my human form and my monster form."

"Don't worry, I'm not here to hurt anyone." Deker said, seeing the alarmed look on Cole's face.

"Then why are you here? Why do you need me to help you?" Cole asked in a demanding tone.

"Because I'm dying. I need your help to save my wife. Xandred gave me a special mission and if I complete it, my wife will be free. I don't have much longer to live, but I don't want to give up on Dahlia. She deserves to be free." Deker explained, the pain in his eyes getting to Cole. He sighed, he knew he would do the same for Alyssa, but he still was on guard. He needed to know all the facts before agreeing to help.

How can I help?" he asked.

"Continue my mission. Free my wife." Deker gasped, getting weaker.

"But I'm not you! How can I complete your mission when I don't know what it is or what to do? You don't have the time to tell me." Cole reasoned.

"No, I don't, but I can give you what I know." Deker said.

"How?" Cole asked, getting frustrated.

"Come here." Deker ordered and Cole got closer. At that moment Deker vanished and small light floated up from where he had been. Cole watched in wonder and trepidation. The light floated toward Cole and entered him through his chest. An indescribable feeling happened and suddenly Cole felt like he was in a fast forwarded movie.

 _Don't worry, you now have my memories and my abilities. Use them wisely and always remember that Urumasa has the control._

"What do you mean?" Cole thought out loud.

 _In time you will understand._

 _I need to go back to my friends..._ Cole started to think, but was cut off.

 _NO! You can't go back! You are on a mission and friends can't get in the way!_ A different voice screamed at him, scaring him slightly.

 _But..._ Cole's thought trailed off.

 _No! You have to get away from there, you need a place where you can practice. Your friends won't want you anyway now._ The voice said.

"What the hell do you mean? My friends don't care." Cole thought out loud again.

 _They will when they see what you have become._ The voice sneered.

"What?" Cole wondered. He noticed a bag beside him and the sword that Deker had been carrying. He looked in the bag and found a spoon, when he looked at his reflection he dropped it in disgust. He was a monster now. A Nighlok or whatever the Deker guy called them. How could he return to his friends, to Alyssa and the baby, like this? They wouldn't know it was him, they would probably kill him if he went back. And Alyssa…going back wasn't an option now.

 _You know what you have to do._ The voice said and along with it came a memory of a cave not to far from where he was right then. Cole side and picked everything up. He started walking away from the place he loved, the place that held the people who were so dear to him. He looked back once and turned back around and left.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

 _ **The Evans' Home**_

It had been a few hours since Cole had gone on his walk. Alyssa had started to become worried; Cole had never been gone this long and had he planned on going on an extended walk, he would have called her first. She had called all their friends, but no one had seen him.

The couple had been marred for two years and now they were going to be parents. They had been close from the start and love had blossomed very early on in their friendship; however, they couldn't act upon it while they still wore the mantle. After their tenure was up they finally admitted to their love and a year later were living together. Alyssa had helped Cole through college while she taught at a local kindergarten, and after his graduation, it wasn't long before he popped the question.

The way he proposed was just how she imagined he would, surrounded by nature and animals. He had gotten her to go on a hike with him during a beautiful spring day. While on the hike one of his animal friends, an eagle, had swooped down with something in its beak. Even though she knew that the eagle was okay, she was still leery of it when Cole coaxed her to take the item from it. What she found was a ribbon with a ring on it and as she overcame her shock Cole dropped to one knee, the eagle sitting on his shoulder. Right there he asked her to marry him and, with the same amount of excitement that she was known for, she said yes.

Everyone was happy for the couple and their friends couldn't wait to see them married. Their engagement was short and the wedding was small and intimate, just how the two wanted it. They had decided to go camping for their honeymoon, which for their non-ranger friends was strange, but that was what the couple wanted and it show Alyssa more of how connected Cole was to nature and wildlife which made her love him more. Their love for one another was sweet and endearing and they were connected to each other in more than one way. One of the reasons why Alyssa was so worried.

"Taylor, I don't know what to do." Alyssa said, slightly hysterical since this was the last friend to call. Taylor Earhardt was the closest friend of the two and Alyssa hoped that she had seen her husband.

"No, I haven't seen him since last week," Taylor said sounding just as worried. Alyssa closed her eyes as the tears came back in full force, the hormones of pregnancy adding to the overwhelming emotions of fear that she was feeling.

She had prayed that Cole had decided to take an impromptu trip over to see the ex-ranger and ex-Air Force Lieutenant and her Silver Guardian husband. Cole loved hanging out and learning about the silver guardians, sometimes thinking of becoming one himself. He would endlessly ask questions, but it never annoyed her or Eric.

Alyssa knew that he would sometimes sneak a visit to Taylor when the woman had started dating Eric Meyers and she knew that he had continued doing that after the two couples had gotten married. Their friend had gotten a job as a silver guardian after her time in the military had ended, but then she quit after the marriage, something to do with being married to a fellow guardian.

"Oh why did I ever argue with him? I was so stupid!" Alyssa said, holding a hand to her forehead as she thought back to what made Cole take a walk. She had been on a cleaning spree and had gotten mad at him for throwing his shirt on the bed when he took it off to change. He never really got annoyed with her, but she had been pushing his buttons lately.

"Alyssa, calm down. You know that with his connection to nature that he knows that it was just the hormones talking and I'm sure that he's fine. He just probably needed a breather. I called Eric and Wes, they're looking for him right now. Taylor tried to console her friend, but to no avail. She wasn't one to comfort and found it very hard to be around people crying.

"Alright. Please call me if anything turns up." Alyssa ordered.

"I will." Taylor promised and hung up.

Allyssa sat down on the bed and then slowly lowered herself onto her side, the scent of Cole's pillow overwhelmed her and before she knew it, she was sobbing into the it. By the time that Danny and Max came into check on her, she'd fallen in to a fitful sleep

Taylor had called them, worried about Alyssa being alone. She had wanted to go over and help her friend, but Eric had asked her to help in the search for Cole. Both men had told her not to worry, that they would take good care of her and that if there were any problems, they would call her immediately.

Everyone knew that Alyssa could become irrational and had a tendency to overreact when there was an emergency situation. It had happened a lot during their ranger days; but because this particular situation revolved around Cole's disappearance, they had all had become very worried. Neither of the men would say it, but they knew that her hormones would make her already emotional state even worse. After they found her, fast asleep with hints that she had been crying, they covered her up and went out to keep vigil in the living room. Both hoping and praying that Cole would come back.

No one saw the man standing just outside the window to Alyssa's bedroom. He had seen everything and it made his heart ache. He slowly turned around and headed into the woods, his robe gently rustling the leaves on the ground. His eyes fixed on the endless rows of trees and in the direction the voice was telling him to go.

"I will be back, Alyssa. I promise." The voice carried on the wind as he continued on his journey.

* * *

 _ **Reefside, CA**_

 _ **2012**_

A young woman ran through the forest, her blonde hair flying behind her while her clothes caught on every low hanging branch she passed. Her bare feet left bloody prints in the underbrush while more of the thick red liquid dripped from her torn back, the adrenaline and movement had not allowed the blood

coagulate and close the deep gashes. While that was bad enough, the sweat that was slick upon her

body had dripped into the open skin, leaving stinging sensations to add to the unbearable pain already

zinging through her. Her eyes, one of which was starting to show evidence of a shiner it, added a

scared and wild look to them as she kept looking back every few seconds.

She kept running until she reached a clearing. She leaned against a tree, gasping for breath. Her hand brushed across her mouth and she winced as she hit the split part of her lip. Relief came over her as she laid her eyes on her destination, a house. A house that held the person who could help her, a house that held hope. The whole ordeal that had happened to her half an hour ago came at her like a brick, playing out like a scene from a science fiction horror film.

 _The small family had been gathered around the kitchen table playing one of their favorite board games. The parents were overjoyed as their one and only child had come for a visit after being gone for almost a year. She had just arrived home that morning and had been resting from her trip before they all came together for the family game night. She had two weeks of break and it would be filled with meetings with friends and family, the family game night had to be then or it would probably be forgotten in the tumult._

 _A few minutes into the game a loud noise from the living room disrupted the calm atmosphere and suddenly the kitchen was overrun with hideous creatures. They were completely purple, had a man's face, armor and all were identical. Then one creature, who didn't look like the others, came into the room. This one looked to be the leader as it had a long, red robe and looked more coherent than the rest. He looked straight at the girl and let out a horrible laugh before walking towards her. She backed up until she found herself in a corner_

" _Wow a few years has made you soft." He taunted. The girl narrowed her eyes at the creature._

" _You know this...thing?" her father asked her, his eyes wide with shock and his voice a pitch higher._

" _No." She stated, looking her father in the eye with a look that said "don't ask", before looking back at the creature. She suddenly rushed at him and he stumbled back._

" _Run!" she called to her parents. They hesitated before starting to run, only to be overtaken by the multiple minions who had also come towards her after her attack on their leader. She watched in horror as her parents and the minions holding them vanished into thin air. The evil leader laughed again before he ordered his underlings to get her._

 _She put up a good fight, finding if she hit them just right that they turned into a purple goo that went everywhere. But, it was all for nothing as hundreds had descended on the house and cornered her. It was a wonder that she didn't hear sirens coming, maybe only she and her parents could see these thing?_

 _The question was thrown out of her mind as the minions picked her up and carried her outside. The leader followed and ordered them to drop her. She looked around quickly and saw that they were in her backyard._

" _Who are you?" She demanded._

" _Your worst nightmare." He said before swinging his sword down at her. She rolled to the side, now on her stomach. Without warning she felt a white hot pain spreading across her shoulders. It happened two more times, one time diagonally down her back and then again across her lower back. She could hear screams and for a second she thought that had brought her parents back to watch her torture, but then she recognized them as her own._

 _Suddenly she was flipped over to see the revolting creature was standing over her. Before he vanished, along with his henchmen, he tucked a piece of paper into the pocket of her tattered jeans. When she felt that she was alone, she sat up to look around. Everything looked okay, nothing out of place, no footprints, nothing. She slowly stood up, the pain from her back, dull because of adrenaline, making her wincing a bit as she did. She went to a window and looked in. It was just the same as the outside, everything back in order, like nothing happened there. The only evidence of an attack was her appearance._

 _It was then that she realized that she needed to leave and knew the only place she could go to was an old friend. She turned towards the gate that lead out of the backyard and into the forest. The only way she could get to her friend's house without being seen in public, something she didn't want or need at the moment._

 _She carefully opened the gate and, after going through it, closed it behind her. She looked back at her house and sighed before taking off through the trees._

She took a deep breath before pushing off from the tree. The pain from her back was growing, the adrenaline was wearing off. She tried to walk fast, but the jolting motion was making it painful and so she slowed down. She could feel her strength waning by the time she reached the house, she could barely breathe. She looked around and saw no cars and could hear no sounds that would indicate that people were around. Tears came to her eyes and slowly made their way down her face as the realization that she was alone came upon her.

She leaned against the post of the back porch, the exhaustion and pain taking over her body and making it weak. She slid down to where she was in a sitting position. She would wait until her friend came back and she hoped that she could hold out long enough that they could help her. They, because she knew that he would bring the others.

Slowly her eyes closed and finally let herself rest. As her eyes closed, she faintly heard voices coming her way, but in her weakened state she could only succumb to the darkness that overtook her.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! Please review and let me know what you think about it so far.**

I will update next week!


	2. The Threat

**A/N:** Here we go! Chapter 1! It is short, but there is a lot to it. I believe I used this as the first chapter to the last post of this story. If so, I'm sorry, but this does need to be in here. Just be patient, I am working on a ton more!

Thank you slytherensangel26 for beta reading this story. I recommend you go and read her series "Raising the Pterodactyl", it is AMAZING!

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

* * *

 **Aquitar**

 **Year not available**

A brown-haired man with glasses ran a hand through his hair. Most of the time he was pretty calm and focused, but at times like this, running a hand through his hair was a sign of his frustration.

"Not good." He muttered to himself, "What are we going to do now?" He looked over the sensor readings. When he'd first heard the alarms going off, his stomach dropped; but now, seeing what the reports from the sensors offered, he was suddenly overcome with a feeling of dread so strong his stomach churned.

He couldn't believe this was happening. All of a sudden, from out of nowhere, flashbacks from the Ivan Ooze incident overwhelmed him and temporarily put him into a trance-like state. His palms were sweaty and his heart was starting to beat rapidly in his chest. He'd never regret being a power range,nit had been a huge factor in his transition from bully magnet to a strong, steady young man; someone with a lot more confidence than he started out with. However, that transition had come with a heavy price. This panic attack was one of those things included in that metaphorical price and one of the reasons he had stayed on Aquitar, the place he had found peace and healing.

Suddenly the alert for an incoming transmission made him jump. He shook himself out of the flashback and hit the button to receive the call.

"Billy?" A male voice came through the speakers before the image of it's owner appeared on the screen. The man had dual colored hair, brown with blonde streaks. He was wearing a uniform and looked to be in some kind of command center.

"Andros," Billy acknowledge with a sigh. When the machine empire, led by General Venjix, had attempted to unearth Serpentera; Tommy had sent out a call and along with the veteran red rangers and Billy had filled in as Tech Advisor for them. When it was over he had kept in contact with Andros. Being the only Terran Humanoid on Aquitar who was from another planet, Billy soon became an ambassador for Earth and , after meeting Andros, also KO-35

"Are you getting the same readings I am?" The KO-35 native asked. Both Billy and Andros had teamed up to keep watch for intergalactic enemies that might target Earth. The governments of Earth were not oblivious to what was going on, but they wanted to keep the rest of the people in the dark in order to keep hysteria from causing more problems than the enemies. The governments, knowing about Billy, Andros and the power rangers, had come to an agreement to let the two men keep watch over Earth and be the ones to alert the Rangers if they were needed.

Another alert sounded as Billy received another call. He held up one finger in the universal 'one moment' sign as he hit a few buttons to make it a conference call, already aware of who was calling him. He smiled a bit as Justin Stewart's voice, like Andros', came through the line before the video.

Justin was the contact on Earth for Billy and Andros. After a meeting between a few of the main ranger leaders, the main leaders of the world governments, Billy and Andros, it was agreed upon to give the job to Justin since he was familiar with the Rangers and was head of Earth's intergalactic intelligence agency at NASADA. It was also agreed upon that if they couldn't contact him, then they were to contact Thomas Oliver.

"Billy! What's going on? These alarms are going off like crazy!" Justin's panicked tone filled the room.

"Justin, calm down. I'll explain in just a moment," Billy said in a soft, gentle manner, hoping that it would help calm the youngest of the three. He had been around the young man enough to know that the kid, whom had yet to lose his seeming perpetual level of high energy, had not lost his ability to go from relaxed to a frantic state in the blink of an eye either. Billy concluded that it was the combination of how young he was when he was thrust into intergalactic combat along with being a young genius, thrown into the mix of older high school kids with a hectic study schedule that contributed to his chaotic state. Add into all of that the fact that his home-life was not any kind of help and you had the young man that was currently looking at him with dilated eyes full of uncertainty.

"It looks like Zordon was right," Billy stated with a sigh. Before their mentor's warp tube was destroyed he had decided to let someone else in on his theory, just in case something happened and he was around, like now.

"What do you mean? What was he right about?" Justin asked. His tone calmer than before.

"Before Zordon was killed he told me that it was possible Ivan Ooze could've survived," He explained. He didn't miss Andros' grimace at the mention of the hard choice the Kerovian had to make. It had won the war, but had left a scar on the space ranger's heart.

"What? But how?" Justin asked, shock sounding in his voice. He hadn't been a ranger during Ivan's reign of terror, but he had been old enough to remember it being reported about on the news. Once he had joined the ranks, he had been filled in on everything the reporter had not revealed about the battle.

"Ooze was a shapeshifter and could liquefy himself. Zordon thought that he separated himself when that comet hit him, it might have spread his ooze all over,, making it possible for there to be more than one of him. Zordon said that if he had done that, it is possible that he shapeshifted into something or someone and hide, waiting for the right moment to come back," Billy said.

"And you think this is it?" Justin asked.

"We don't know for sure. But we need to have everyone on guard. This could be him or something else, but we need to be ready no matter what." Andros answered. Billy nodded in agreement.

"Alright, tell me what I need to do." The young man from Earth said, his voice serious.

"Contact Tommy, Jason and all the reds. Tell them that an urgent meeting is needed and that it will happen as soon as possible. When you have done that and all of them are gathered, Andros and I will call in and brief them on everything we know." Billy ordered.

"We can then figure out a plan for whatever is coming." Andros added.

"Alright, I will get on that as soon as possible. There is a new ranger group with a new enemy here and I have to keep an eye on them as well." Justin told them.

"We understand, do what you can. If you have to, just call Tommy or Jason and have them arrange everything." Billy said. Justin nodded.

"Alright. I gotta go, the alarms are still going off and I need to shut them down before they start scaring people." Justin said.

"See you later." Billy said before Justin's connection cut out.

"You think this is the right thing to do?" Andros asked, concern flooding his voice.

"They need to know. The other rangers need to be prepared, even if it isn't Ivan. We can never be too careful." Billy stated. Andros nodded in agreement and sighed.

"I better go. I need to get in touch with Leo and let him know what is going on. Maybe he can come here and call in with me, I know with that even with the improved communication tech on Earth, interdimensional communications are still a little choppy. He'll find the transmission to be a little smoother calling from here." Andros said. He and his wife, Ashley, lived on Earth but he would go back and forth to KO-35 for meetings and to see family. He was there now because he got a message about the readings from the sensors. Being closer than Aquitar, KO-35 got readings faster.

"Yeah, that sounds good. Good luck." Billy replied.

"You too." Andros said with a small smirk before the screen went black.

"Huh?" Billy muttered, wondering what Andros meant by that. He didn't have to wonder long as someone cleared their throat from behind him.

"Billy, is there something you want to tell me?" A squeaky, gargle-like voice said. Billy turned and gave a small, sheepish smile at the sneaky Aquitarian.

"Cestria….well…"Billy started before being forced to tell his ex-girlfriend and comrade the whole story.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! Please review and let me know what you think!**

 **Next update will be next week!**


	3. The Find

**A/N:** Chapter two is here! Much longer chapter! YAY!

Thank you to slytherensangel26 for beta reading this story.

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

* * *

 **Reefside, California**

 **Year 2012**

A black, open-air jeep pulled into the parking lot of the local cafe, Hayley's Cyberspace. A man in his late 30's, wearing a black t-shirt with an unbuttoned khaki shirt over top of it, black washed jeans, a pair of hiking boots, and short spiked hair got out as a red pickup pulled up next to him. Another male, also in his late 30's, got out of the pickup. He had short, dark brown hair and wore a red buttoned up shirt, jeans, hiking boots, and a pair of sunglasses. The man in black turned to the other as he took in the place before them.

"This is it, the local hangout," he told the guy in red, opening his arms and motioning toward the building.

It was a simple, two story, brick wall, store-front coffee shop. The lower half of the wall was painted in a neon green, with a half circle window and a sign above it saying "Hayley's Cyberspace". The door was covered by a neon green awning and had the same sign as the one on the building. The doors were open and the two men could hear music coming from inside it was the kind of music that most of the teens of the present generation listened to. They could also hear the tell-tale sounds of arcade games being played.

"Well, Tommy, I have to give it to you. It isn't Ernie's, but it sure is nice. Are you sure your guys are here?" The man in red asked. Tommy nodded.

"Yeah, with the exception of Kira, they're all here. She had a family thing going on, but you'll be able to meet her tomorrow." He replied, talking about the group of teens he had mentored eight years before.

He, Tommy Oliver, was a legendary power ranger and had served on more than one team. This last team had been Dino Thunder and he'd hoped it would be his last. Make no mistake, he'd been in great shape when he took on the black Dino gem, but he'd dearly hoped that with the defeat of Mesogog and the destruction of the Tyrranodrones, that he could finally retire and really settle into the bachelor lifestyle.

And that's what he'd done all these years: just sit back, teach kids and watch with no small amount of satisfaction as the teens he'd mentored grew up and began to live their lives. In fact, it was that very reason that he'd never really had the chance to introduce Jason to his latest ranger team. But, all that was about to change as he led his brother- in-arms into the café and led him straight to the bar. Tommy grinned and gestured to the red head who was now walking over to them.

"Hey guys, did you two have fun?" The red-head asked with a grin.

"Hey, Haley! Yeah, we did." Tommy said. There was no need to introduce the two, Haley had met his friends after they had started up their own friendship in college. She would sometimes tag along when he would go back to Angel Grove on vacations.

"How are you, Jason? It has been a while." She said, turning to the other man and giving him a smile.

"Good, I'm doing good. Just got back from another tour. By the looks of things, you're not doing so bad yourself." He said, looking around at the cafe's décor and all the people.

"I am; business has been great! Where did you go this time?" she asked.

"Syria. There is a huge need of medical teams there. I might go back again soon, after this dojo gets up and running." Jason answered. After coming back from the Peace Conference, he had gone to college and majored in medicine, focusing on the EMT/Paramedic field. After he graduated he signed up to be a Combat Medic and had been doing so for a few years.

"Wow! That is great! So, what brings you to town? Tommy said you were coming in today, but didn't give me any details." Haley said, leaning on the bar, interested in what Jason had to say. Jason smiled as he indulged her with the news that the dojo he was starting was in town.

Tommy, letting his friends catch up, looked around for his own crew. Some things never changed, it seemed. It only took Tommy a few seconds to find the young men in the far corner of the room, it was the same place they'd always occupied. He could remember fondly how he and his old friends had the same kind of spot at Ernie's for them all to gather around, enjoying the fruit smoothies and other concoctions that the former, retired owner could come up with.

They made their way over to a group of chairs and couches where three young men sat. Jason eyed them as they sat down. One of the dudes they now sat with, had brown hair and was dressed in jeans, red Nike shoes and wore a red button down shirt that hung open over a white undershirt. Next to him sat another guy with mocha skin whom, if Jason had to guess, came from a Latino Heritage. He was dressed in the same style as the soccer guy. The only difference was the he wore mostly white and black and instead of Nike, he wore a pair of black Vans. The last male had chocolate brown skin and wore blue clothing. He also wore glasses that Jason didn't remember seeing in the updated video Tommy had sent him, which reminded the original red ranger of two good friends of his and Tommy. The glasses really intrigued Jason, but he figured that all the computer use had affected the young man's eyes over the years, like it did with a few other friends he knew.

"Hey guys, this is Jason. He was on the video I showed you. Jason these are the guys…." Tommy said before pointing to each one as he said their names.

"Conner," the man in red waved, his face showing shock and excitement. Jason held in the chuckle when he saw it, remembering how Cole, the red Wild Force ranger, had been during the Forever Red mission.

"Trent," the man in white followed Conner's lead.

"And Ethan," the man in blue gave a smile as he waved.

"Nice to meet you guys," Jason said, "So what do you all do?" He asked.

"Well, as you can see, I'm a soccer player. I'm the coach for Reefside High and I also run soccer camps during the summer." Conner replied. Both he and Tommy were on spring vacation and was enjoying every minute of it.

"I'm a graphic artist. I own my own business making signs and other things for the community." Trent said.

"And I'm a computer engineer. I just started up my own business last year after spending a couple of years interning at Microsoft and Apple." Ethan answered with a proud smile.

"Nice. So, isn't there another one in your group?" Jason asked. Tommy had already told him that he would meet her later, but he decided to use it to break the ice.

"Yeah, that would be Kira. She got into town yesterday, but she wanted to spend some time with her family. We texted earlier and were planning on meeting up tomorrow." Conner replied with a small smile spreading across his face. Jason momentarily wondered about that, but decided to leave that for later.

"Haley, is everything okay?" Tommy asked. Jason was enjoying the camaraderie among his fellow men when he saw Tommy's face suddenly change from one of mirth to one of concern. He quickly turned to see the slightly pale face of their mutual friend.

"I don't know. I just got an urgent message saying that you need to get to your lab. It's from Justin." Haley said. The young adults turned towards the older ones and saw the concern in their faces. Whatever was going on, it wasn't good. Tommy turned to Jason and saw him nod.

"Okay guys, let's go," he ordered. All the men stood up in synchronization.

"Dr. O, what about Kira?" Conner asked before anyone made a move towards the door. Tommy sighed and rubbed the back of his neck while in thought.

"I don't want to take her away from her family…..but she should be with us," he concluded before making a decision, he looked at the three younger guys and nodded, "It's probably best she comes; just tell her it is an emergency."

They all broke up as they went to their separate cars. Ethan and Trent, whom had ridden in with Conner, both hurried to get into the red Jeep Cherokee. He still had the mustang, but he only used it on special occasions. As a coach he found the jeep to be handier when it came to toting around the sports equipment.

Hayley only stayed behind long enough to put her most trusted employee, a pale red-head with freckles over her nose, in charge before grabbing her purse and joining the others in the parking lot. While the others had gone ahead, Jason's decked out truck idled in the parking lot. This was nothing new for them. It was established in college, that Tommy drove like a maniac and his need for speed scared her to death. At least with Jason, she didn't have to fear for her life.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

 **Ford Residence**

Conner pulled up into the drive way of the Ford's residence and put on the emergency break. The house sat eerily quiet with not a single light on. The cars were still in the drive way and even Kira's pretty, 2004, yellow Ford Thunderbird sat in its place.

The three men looked at each other. Each one had a look of apprehension on their face, the look one has when they have seen a lot in their lifetime and don't want to see anymore. Ethan stared at the house, his mind going over every possibility that it could.

"Maybe they went for a walk?" He suggested, though his voice betrayed the doubt he was feeling. Conner and Trent just gave him a look.

"Call Dr. O. Let him know what is going on and that we might be a while." Conner said to him. Ethan nodded and pulled out his phone. While he did that, Conner unbuckled and opened his door. His leader's instinct, that had seemed to go dormant for so long, suddenly roared back to life and hit him full force. The care-free airs that he usually sported all this time had been replaced by a disquieted silence and his facial features had morphed into a very intense look. Trent followed his lead, keeping quiet as he noticed the sudden change in his friend. They both stood, staring at the place, both sensing a haunting aura of evil which made the hair on the back of their necks stand up.

"Come on." Conner said, looking at the building in front of them. He sighed before he started up the walkway.

As the men approached the door, Conner rang the doorbell and stepped back waiting to hear footsteps approaching or some kind of answering reply.

But still, the house sat eerily quiet.

"Kira! Open up! We gotta talk! It's an emergency!" Trent called out. When no one answered, Trent pounded on the door. When it swung open on the hinges that seemed to be very loose, his hand dropped heavily to his side and he looked at Conner. Suddenly, someone called out to them, making both guys jump slightly. They looked around before they saw that it was the elderly neighbor.

"Is everything alright over there?" She asked. She could barely see or hear, but she somehow always knew when something was going on. The two men, after calming down and slowing their heart rates, walked closer to her so they wouldn't have to shout.

"We don't know, Mrs. Henly. Have you seen Kira or her family? We know she's in town and wanted to spend the day with her family, but there's been an emergency and we need to find her immediately. Do you know where they went?" Trent asked her. All the guys knew Mrs. Henly. Kira had become something like a treasured niece or granddaughter during all this time and the sweet old woman had made it her private duty to keep watch over her because her parents always seemed to be working. She had been so happy when Kira became friends with the three men; she knew that the girl was in good hands.

"I know. That is why I came out when I saw you pull up. I'm worried that something might have happened to them." She stated.

"Why do you say that?" Conner asked.

"Well, an hour before you arrived, a huge flash of light lit up the side of the house that faces the Ford's. Rosco started going crazy after that and I couldn't calm him down. A few minutes after the flash I went to the door and heard some distressing sounds coming from their yard." Mrs. Henly replied.

Rosco, the happy golden retriever, was her service dog that Kira and the guys helped her get. The woman's family didn't live nearby and she didn't want to move or go into a nursing home. The only way she could stay was by getting a dog to help keep her safe and let the authorities know that she was alone. The Reefside police department usually stopped by at least once a day to check in on her.

"What type of sounds?" Ethan's voice came from behind them, scaring them slightly. Rosco growled a bit before Mrs. Henley tapped him lightly on the head, telling him to be quiet.

"Well, I heard the back door open and heard some scuffling. I didn't go and see who it was or what was going on. I'm sorry, but whatever was happening had Rosco in a tizzy. It took everything in me to keep him from knocking the door down." She said. All three felt their blood run cold at her words. Rosco had become very attached to Kira and they knew that he would only react that way if something bad was happening to Mrs. Henly or Kira. Questions started running through their minds, each wondering what the hell was going on. The only thing they knew was all the answers were inside the house.

"Thank you Mrs. Henly, We'll go take a look; you should go inside and lock your door." Conner told her before the three turned back to their friend's home.

"You guys be careful." She warned them. Ethan nodded back at her, letting her know they heard her. He paused, realizing that she couldn't see him. He walked towards her and said, "We will, stay inside okay?" The sweet little woman, smiled at him and patted his cheek before walking away.

"So what is our plan of action?" Trent asked Conner, the straight-to-the-point tone that he used to have as a ranger coming back. He really was worried about Kira. The two of them had been in a serious relationship for two years after they gave their morphers back to their mentor. They had briefly dated during their tenure also, but it had ended after he'd abandoned his team. He had been so naive back then.

It wasn't until Conner had shown up to the senior prom with Krista, the tree hugger whom he'd helped save a tree with, that he'd realized his team mate was using him to help her get over her heartache. He had done his best to ignore the longing looks between the two, but it was evident that Kira wasn't happy in their relationship and he'd soon gently but firmly broke things off with her. Kira had left looking even sadder then she had before and it tore at Trent's heart strings but he'd known it was all for the best.

At first, he hadn't known how much Conner returned Kira's feelings until the day that Krista broke up with him. The shattering of his bro's heart had led to a night of drinking and a few rounds of wings (that latter being provided by himself to make up for all the alcohol.) Conner had ended up spilling his guts to his bros and they listened to him till he passed out. They would never reveal what was said but both he and Ethan hoped that their fellow team mates would just give in and tell each other about their true feelings eventually.

"I don't know," Conner said with a sigh. Both Trent and Ethan looked at each other, worried for their leader.

"What do you mean, Man?" Ethan asked. His concern shot up a notch at his friend's hesitation. This was not like him at all.

"I just don't know. If this was Mesagog, I would say 'let's kick their asses to the next dimension', but we don't know what is going on here and we don't have our powers anymore," he stated. He was scared-no- terrified about what was going on and what they might find in that house.

"Dude, are you seriously freaking out over this?" Trent demanded sounding incredulous. "Since when did that ever stop us? Sure we don't have our powers anymore, but we can still kick some serious ass. We were all trained by the legendary Tommy Oliver and from what Ms. Henly said, Kira also put up a hell of a fight." When Conner gave him a look of surprise, he added. "Once a Ranger, always a ranger. So let's go be rangers and find out what happened to Kira." Trent said, being the voice of reason for their leader.

"Yeah, Man, Trent is right. If there is another evil pyscho running around, trying to take over the world again, then we need to find Kira and get back to Dr. Oliver," Ethan said, "I just got off the phone with him and he said to be careful, but get her back ASAP. So let's go find out what the hell happened here." Conner nodded in acknowledgement before starting towards the house once again.

"Alright, let's go," He urged. Trent took the lead this time, he squared his shoulders and almost marched himself back towards the building, Ethan and Conner following close behind.

An unnerving silence met the three as they slowly made their way into the dark house. Ethan tried the light switch and everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they came on. The electricity hadn't been cut, but that meant that the intruders had come in a different way. There was no evidence of any intrusion or fight in the small entrance way.

"Ethan, you take the upstairs. Trent and I will look around down here," Conner ordered, "Be careful, there might be traps," he added quickly. He and Trent split up as Ethan made for the stairs, taking them two at a time.

Trent made his way through the office and into the adjoining living room where he found the first clues of what happened. There was a huge black mark on the floor, the coffee table was obliterated and the TV was blown out as if a huge surge of energy had suddenly overpowered the circuits and obliterated it. Conner's voice brought him out of the shock

Connor had gone to the kitchen after looking into the dining room and seeing nothing of concern. On the counters of the kitchen there were bags of chips and half empty glasses full of soda and even an open beer bottle or two. The door to their microwave stood open with a full bag of popcorn on the turntable.

Everything he saw pointed to a disrupted family night. He walked towards the dining room table and saw some kind of board game in disarray. The chairs were overturned and there was a broken picture frame on the ground.

"Guys, in the kitchen!" Was all he could call out, his voice strained as he tried to get it out as the lump of fear grew in his throat. He turned as he heard footsteps behind him and two sharp intakes of breath.

"Woah, this place is trashed," Ethan said in a soft voice as he walked further into the kitchen.

"The living room is the same. It looks like a huge bolt of lightning came down, there is a black mark on the floor, the coffee table is matchsticks and the TV is destroyed," Trent explained, "It looks like Mrs. Henly was right about what she heard," he added. They looked around a bit more before Ethan's eyes noticed the broken glass door that led out back.

"Hey guys, look at this," He said, motioning to the door. The fear that had only seemed to be a lump in his throat at first suddenly turned into the beginnings of a major anxiety attack and Conner found he couldn't answer. Seeing his leader's condition, Ethan stepped up.

"Looks like they went out back. Let's check it out. Maybe she's still out there." He suggested. Conner tamped town his panic before he nodded and led them carefully over the broken glass and out the door, he was the leader, and he already let enough fear show. When they got outside all they could do was stand and stare in horror at the sight before them. He instantly felt shame flow through him. He

didn't want to admit it to the others but when it came to Kira, he couldn't think straight. He was terrified for her!

The fenced in yard looked like ground zero for world war three. It was completely trashed! The old rustic picnic table bore the telltale signs of having been slashed several times by a sword. A very nice and expensive grill was over turned with old coals spilled from a gash on the side that hadn't been there before. All along the ground, there was damage to the cement where something huge had fallen and cracked it. All of that was bad enough, but what made everything all the more chilling was the puddle of blood on the ground that was only just starting to congeal…and all around it, the un-natural looking footprints and purple goo that was smeared all over the ground.

Ethan looked around with wide eyes, feeling more and more horrified by all the carnage that surrounded him. He wanted to freak out. He could feel the need to panic rising in him. The terror he felt for his friend was becoming more and more overwhelming. With the dread he felt when he knew that his worse fears were being realized, it took all the fortitude he had not to just vomit on the spot.

After taking a few deep breathes, he pulled out his smart phone and hit the speed dial that would connect him to Dr. Oliver.

While Ethan was on the phone, Conner and Trent slowly made their way through the destruction, hoping that Kira was hiding somewhere in the medium size yard. After a few moments of looking it was obvious she wasn't there.

"You don't think they took her, do you?" Trent asked, looking at Conner with a just a little apprehension showing in his dark brown eyes. By now, Conner had managed to regain some of his composure and shut away his fear for the girl he secretly loved. Now was not the time for a freak out. He could do that later, once he knew that Kira was alive. For now, he needed to be the leader.

"I don't know man. We don't know who or what did this or how many. We don't know their intentions…" he said before his voice trailed off. Trent put a hand on his shoulder, knowing that Conner was taking this harder than he and Ethan were. Not only did he know how dedicated Conner was to the team, but he also knew that there was something between the red and yellow rangers and knew that most of what Conner was feeling was because of it.

"She'll be okay, Conner. You know that. She's a fighter." Trent reassured his friend.

"Yeah, I know." Conner replied before his eyes landed on something that made the hope within him flare back to life.

"Trent, look." He said, motioning to the open gate. They hadn't seen it at first, as they were more focused on the land surrounding the house. They both hurried over to see if they could find anything.

"Here!" Trent said, motioning to something in front of him. As the fence was by the tree line and it was getting darker, he had brought out his phone and turned on the flashlight. The beam lit up the ground before him showing smudges of blood in the dirt path that led into the woods. Trent and Conner looked at each other briefly before Conner jogged over to Ethan, who was still on the phone.

"One second, Dr. O," Ethan said as he saw his friend walking over, "What?" He asked as he put a hand over the mic.

"We found a trail; we are going to follow it. You wanna stay here or go with us?" Conner asked. During their tenure they had all become really good at tracking. It wasn't a shock to Ethan that the two found something so fast.

"Hold on," Ethan answered his friend. Turning back to the phone, he removed his hand from the phone and put it on speaker

"Dr. O, we found a trail, we're going to explore it." He quickly told their mentor.

Dr. O's voice, though calm, had an alarmed undertone as he spoke. "You guys better be very careful, watch each other and don't do anything stupid. Call back when you find something."

"We will." Ethan reassured and ended the call. He and Conner walked back over to where Trent was standing.

Trent took the lead, his phone being the only one with a flashlight, and they started through the woods. The trail, Ethan noticed, was dotted with drops of blood which made his heart beat faster with fear at what they might find at the end.

A lot of their battles did end up being fatal for someone, especially in the minutes before they arrived to intervene. He'd had no idea at first what had happened in those moments between the times that they got the call from Haley to the time when they actually arrived to do battle. It was only after that, when he sat at home watching the news and nursing a bruise that he'd heard about the aftermath. This was new to them and terrifying, especially since one of their own was involved. They weren't even sure it was her, for all they knew it could have been one of her parents.

It seemed like they had been walking forever. They were on edge and being in the woods didn't help calm their nerves any, each strange sound had them almost jumping into a fighting stance. Trent had heard something and wasn't paying attention when Conner suddenly froze. He rammed into the jock's back and almost fell. Ethan, who had been watching and had stopped, helped steady the artist.

"Hey, couldn't you give a warning before stopping?" Trent asked with irritation. He frowned when he saw the how still Conner had become.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"It has to be Kira…." Conner mumbled, "She's the only one who knows how to get here."

"What are you talking about?" Ethan inquired. Conner moved so they could see what he was looking at.

"My house. This trail leads to my house," Conner told them, "Kira is the only one who knows this path leads here. Why didn't I think of that before when we found the trail? We could have been here a long time ago!"

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself, you were worried. People have trouble remembering stuff under pressure," Ethan reassured him. He could hear the guilt in his friend's voice, "Come on. We've wasted enough time talking as it is. With all the blood we found we need to find her quickly." Ethan added before moving around the other two guys and leading the way to the house before them.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

 **Tommy's House**

"Hey, stop worrying, I bet they're fine." Jason told the pacing man. They were in the living room waiting for one of the kids to call back to tell them what was going on. When Tommy had gotten the call from Ethan, Jason thought he was going to have to tie him to a chair to keep him from going over and helping.

"They said they would call and they will. You need to trust that they have this under control." Jason added, hoping to ease his friend's worries.

"I know, it's just…" Tommy started.

"Just what?" Jason coaxed.

"If it was one of the guys, I wouldn't have as much trouble with this…but it is Kira." Tommy stated.

"And how is she different?" Jason asked in confusing.

"She's a girl, the only girl…." Tommy said, trailing off as he caught Jason's look.

"There has to be more to it than that, bro. I haven't seen you this agitated since that time that Kimberly got captured by Lord Zedd and was held in that dungeon of his." Jason said, very lost on why not being there was bothering Tommy so much.

"Do you like her?" He added after thinking for a moment.

"Like her? Yeah, I like her, she is a good kid. Who wouldn't?" Tommy asked, the confusion now on his face. Jason shook his head at his friend, the man could be so air headed sometimes.

"No, I mean like her as in more than a friend." Jason explained. He swallowed the chuckle at the bugged-eyed look that Tommy had.

"What! No! She is my friend. A good friend. And she was my student. No….just no. Don't even go there." Tommy said in a rush. His face going bright red at the thought that someone thought that. Jason couldn't help it and a small chuckle came out. He immediately clamped his mouth shut when Tommy glared at him.

Tommy couldn't believe that Jason would think that. She was his student for god sakes and she was 10 years younger than him. Plus there was another girl who already had his heart, but he wasn't going to tell Jason that, not now at least.

"Alright, so what is it then? What is it that has you all worried like a mother hen?" He asked.

"I don't know. I just feel this connection to her all of a sudden…like a brother would. I wasn't like this when we were rangers. I have never felt this protective before, even with Kim. I don't know what's going on." Tommy explained. He sat down and put his head in his hands.

" **I think I can explain that.** " A very familiar voice said. Both Jason and Tommy jumped up and looked around, their hearts racing as they tried to find the source for the voice.

"Zordon?" Jason asked.

" **Yes, Jason, it is me.** " Zordon said, appearing before them like a hologram. It reminded Jason of the way that Obi Wan had appeared to Luke in 'Star Wars'.

"How? You were destroyed." Tommy said, his face laced with confusion.

" **My warp tube was destroyed, but that doesn't mean I was. My spirit is still alive and well. I've been watching over all rangers and silently helping them when needed. I've been waiting for this day, Tommy."** Zordon explained.

"What do you mean?" Tommy asked. Just then the phone rang.

" **Answer it, Tommy."** Zordon ordered. Tommy went and picked up the phone.

"Hello? Calm down Ethan. Okay, now tell me what is going on…..alright, Jason and I will be there shortly. Just sit tight and keep pressure on the wound. Alright, bye." Tommy said. Jason looked at him after he hung up.

"What's going on?" He asked. He got no answer as Tommy was looking at Zordon with apprehension and longing.

" **Go, Tommy, This can wait. I promise I'll be here when you get back. Go take care of your team.** " Zordon reassured him. Tommy sighed before heading toward the door.

"Come on Jason, I'm going to need your help." He said, turning to his friend.

"What's wrong? Who's hurt?" Jason asked, knowing by the tone that something bad had happened. He hoped that this time he would get an answer.

"Kira." Tommy stated. That was all it took for both men to fly into action. They were out the door and into the jeep, and flying down the road at reckless speeds.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! You know the drill, review and let me know what you think!**

 **New chapter will be up next week!**


	4. The Return

**A/N:** So sorry for the wait. I know I promised this chapter would be up last week. I have a lot of medical issues and I haven't been feeling well lately. Please forgive me.

A big thanks to slytherensangel26 for beta reading this for me!

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

* * *

 **Paris, France**

 **Year 2012**

" **Kimberly, go home."** The deep voice that haunted her dreams said, waking her instantly.

"Zordon?" The woman, Kimberly Hart, muttered as she blearily looked around the room. She sighed as she saw no one else in the quiet room and laid back down, looking at the ceiling. Kimberly had been visiting her mother and stepfather for a couple months now, trying ever so much to relax and enjoy life again.

Ever since she had given up her powers to pursue her dream, her mentor and ex-teammates had been haunting her thoughts. It became worse after she had been taken by Divatox and turned evil. Either she dreamed about old battles or had nightmares of what could've happened had everything went the wrong way. Either way, she could never get away from the Power.

This night, however, was different. It wasn't like the times she sat up gasping from fright, hearing his voice or someone's screams. She had heard his voice like it was right there next to her. She had never heard it that clear before. It was like he wasn't dead and was still alive, talking to her through her communicator.

" **I was talking to you, Kimberly."** His voice came again, this time as clear as ever.

"Zordon?" Kimberly called out again, this time louder and more fear in her tone. Her heart was pounding erratically as she turned on the light, looking around the room for the person whose voice was heard. Her blood ran cold and the hair stood up on the back of her neck as she saw nothing there.

"Where are you? What is going on?" She added.

" **Calm down, sweetheart."** He said. She was taken back by the nickname he had called her. Never had he called any of the rangers any terms of endearment.

" **Just because I never said them, doesn't mean I didn't think them. I thought of all of you as my children. At the time it wasn't appropriate to get emotionally attached."** Zordon's voice said. This made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. How was he answering her questions when she didn't say anything?

" **I can hear your thoughts."** He answered.

"How? Where are you?" She asked.

" **I am in my spirit form. When my tube was broken my spirit was freed. I've been watching over you in silence since."** Zordon explained.

"Why didn't you show yourself before?" Kim asked, slightly hurt that he kept this secret.

" **Because it wasn't the right time."** He said plainly. This cause her to become anxious. Zordon never did anything unless there was a cause.

"What is going on? Is everything okay?" She inquired.

" **Everything is okay; For now at least."** He continued.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

" **Now, I need you to go back home. Your family needs you."** He explained, not answering her.

"But I'm with my family." She argued.

" **You know what I'm talking about, Kimberly."** He chastised in a gentle tone. She bowed her head in slight embarrassment.

"Yes, I know." She said.

" **They are going to need your heart and strength. Especially the Falcon."** He said, knowing the last part would get to her. He felt his spirit soar as he saw her face when she heard the name.

"Tommy?" She asked. Her heart sped up a bit at his name.

She hadn't seen him since she'd written him the letter. It was something she'd regretted and now she was afraid of what would happen should she return. Would he want to see her again? Would he turn away from her like she did to him?

She had never stopped loving him, but she just knew that his feelings towards her would probably have changed since she made that horrible, awful decision.

" **Yes, my child.** _ **He**_ **especially will need you."** Zordon said.

"Alright, I will go." She said with a sigh, moving towards the phone on the nightstand. She had few calls to make.

" **Thank you. You have become an amazing woman. I will see you soon."** He said before she felt an odd emptiness fill the room. She immediately went to work on getting her affairs in order. She sighed as she felt anxiety well up in her, but she pushed it down knowing she had to do this.

* * *

 **Reefside**

 **McKnight Residence**

Conner, Ethan and Trent looked around as they made their way towards Conner's house. They were on guard; their muscles were tightly wound up and they moved so very carefully, ready to do battle with anything or anyone that might decide to ambush them. They weren't sure if Kira had been followed or not. For all they knew, they were walking into a trap.

Connor felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest. He was terrifed about what they were going to find. All the blood they had seen at the house and the bloody trail that led away from it showed that this was not your regular evil villain that they had fought before. This one was going to leave an impact, a traumatic one, and he wasn't sure the team could handle it. He wasn't sure _he_ could handle it.

He knew that everyone had guessed a long time ago, all except Kira, of course: he'd fallen hopelessly in love with the beautiful brunette woman who held the yellow Dino Gem. He didn't know what had drawn him to her at first. It could have been how she put him in his place, grounded him or it could have been her strength and determination during battle. All he knew was that he had always felt something for her since they had first met, but it wasn't until Trent had tried to hurt her while under the power of the white dino gem that those feelings had become stronger. Now she was his world and he didn't know what he would do without her in it.

The trail of blood lead right to the backyard; there the bloody footprints continued onto the walkway but they didn't see any other sign of her around until they got to the porch. The sight of their friend took their breath away, at first it looked like she was dead but they could see her chest erratically rising and falling as they got closer. Ethan was the first to snap out of his shocked state and raced over to the girl.

She was sitting up against the porch post, she had been partially hidden behind one of the many bushes that surrounded the porch and that was why they didn't see her at first. Her head hung down and her matted hair creating a veil over her face. Her shirt and jeans were torn and dirty. Her feet were bloody from walking barefoot through the forest.

"Kira?" Ethan called as he gently lifted her head up and brushed the hair from her face, hooking it over her ears, so he could see if there were any injuries there. He winced as he saw a bruise on her cheek along with some scratches; they were signs that she had put up a good fight. He also noticed the makings of hand-shaped bruises on her upper arms, just peeking out from under her sleeve. He wondered what had created those, but he needed to know how bad off she was first.

"Kira?" He asked again. This time he was instantly relieved upon hearing a whimper coming from their petite team mate.

"Wake up." He ordered, his voice gently but firm.

"Ethan?" Her voice so soft it was almost silent. His heart broke at how vulnerable she sounded.

"Yeah, we found you. You are going to be okay." He said. She moved a bit and let out a pained sob as she did.

"Don't move. What hurts?" He asked.

"My back." She stated.

Ethan looked over at the other two guys and saw that they were still staring in horror. He needed help, but he had a feeling that Connor would be completely useless just from looking at his ashen face.

"Trent, I need help here!" He called out. At his insistent tone, Trent came out of his shocked stupor and hurried over to help.

"Help me sit her up, I need to see her back." Ethan said in a strained voice. Trent could only nod and as he put his hand behind her. His intention was to move her away from the post but the moment he touched her back, Kira screamed in pain. He was momentarily startled and he accidentally let go.

"Trent!" Ethan yelled, mad that the man did that, but he was interrupted by Trent's horrified gasp.

"Oh my God. Ethan….."Trent trailed off as he looked at the amount of blood on his hand. Ethan's eyes widened and he gasped as he saw the small puddle of blood starting to ooze from behind her.

"Connor, get over here right now!" Ethan ordered. Connor gulped before he ran over, scared at what he was going to see. Trent had already taken off his shirt to top the bleeding, but it wasn't doing much good. Connor noticed and did the same, handing it to Ethan; he was still rooted to the spot and could only watch as his teammates fought to help the love of his life. His face was pale and his eyes wide.

"Unlock your door" Ethan ordered, taking his phone out of his pocket.

"You and Trent get her inside, I will call Dr. O." He added, walking a few feet away with his phone to his ear.

* * *

 **Blue Bay Harbor**

 **Wind Ninja Academy**

Sensei Kanoi Watanabe was meditating in a peaceful area of the school yard. The place was similar to what he had during his time as a guinea pig when he was the Ninja Storm team's mentor. It had a beautiful, simple, rectangular pagoda style cover with bamboo mats and a glass table. There was a small zen garden at one end and a majestic rock waterfall at the other. He felt completely content for the moment; however, that didn't last as he suddenly felt a new presence near him.

" **Sensei"** an unrecognizable voice addressed him. Kanoi opened his eyes and looked around to find nothing. This didn't surprise him as he had talked to numerous spirits during meditation before. He smiled as he responded, the voice finally registering in his memory.

"Zordon. It has been a long time."

" **It has."** Zordon said.

"You haven't come here to just catch up, have you?" Kanoi acknowledged. He knew the once powerful being in the universe quite well.

" **No, I haven't. I have come to let you know that it is time."** Zordon said. Kanoi's eyes widened.

"Are you sure?" He inquired.

" **I am. An old enemy has come back and he is more powerful than any villain we have ever fought. I'm gathering old and new, as many as I can find. You need to tell him before I summon everyone."** Zordon informed.

"Who?" Kanoi asked.

" **You will find out at the meeting. Just focus on your children for now, don't worry about tomorrow."** Zordon said. Kanoi nodded and he felt the presence leave.

* * *

 **OOOOO! An interesting piece of information there! Let me know what you think! I can't promise anything, but the next chapter should be up next week. If it isn't I will try to get up the week after.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


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